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Egypt and Jordan (12 days)

A Grand 12 days in Egypt and Jordan, Including Petra

Karnak, Egypt. Photo by Ron Guay.

Indiana Jones himself couldn’t squeeze more adventure into such a journey: Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Extend you stay in Egypt and Jordan and visit the Abu Simbel Temples. For the 11-day version without Sharm El Sheikh please click here.

Tour

DAY 1 – DEPARTURE – Sunday -Weekly year round
We take off aboard Lufthansa, Swiss, Air France, British Airways or KLM from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

DAY 2- CAIRO- VIP Meet & Greet Service – Monday
Our Egypt-based local rep. greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport.

VIP Meet & Greet Upon arrival at Cairo Airport
Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports and then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

DAY 3 – CAIRO – Tuesday (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We’ll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Then it’s on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx.

The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops
The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years, the wooden boat was readied for the king’s daily journey with the sun god, Ra. Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

The regal pharaonic Dahabia of Cheops Museum in Giza is a must see.

We are glad to include the entrance fee to get inside the Great Pyramid. If interested, please read this first:

The King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid was not meant to be visited:
Getting to it is challenging, and once you enter, it is very difficult to turn back. The stone passage is only wide enough for one person. You must be in good physical condition, able to climb several flights of stairs, bend double, crouch and duck-walk for short distances. The King’s Chamber itself is the world’s most claustrophobic place, with dim light and heavy, hot, oxygen-poor air. There is no ventilation. If you are at all sensitive to claustrophobia or confinement, or if you have any sort of respiratory condition, for your own safety and the safety of others, you must not enter the pyramid because it is impossible to remove a person or to bring aid to them quickly.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals: This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions by letting us know your preferences. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt, small souvenirs of your home town).

We’ll visit the world famous Nubian Museum, the enormous dams at Aswan, and then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. In the evening, your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride through Aswan and the waterfront.

DAY 5 – KOM OMBO -Thursday (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We’ll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 6 – EDFU and LUXOR- Friday (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we’ll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut; and, back in Luxor, we tour the Great Temple at Karnak and the smaller yet charming Temple of Amon. Evening Sound and Light show.

DAY 7 – SHARM EL SHEIKH – RED SEA Saturday (B)
Now that you’ve seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You’ll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You’re at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters.

DAY 8 – SHARM EL SHEIK – Dinner with the Bedouins in Sinai -Sunday (BD)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don’t miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish. Lunch at the hotel. Evening dinner with the bedouins in Sinai.

Day 9 – Saladin’s Castle and Pharaoh’s Island-Monday (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel, lunch box will be prepared by your chef and includes bottled water.

Just off the Sinai along the northern reaches of the Gulf of Aqaba lies one of the more curious and scenic locales in this part of the world. The rulers of the Nile might once have held sway over these rocks and sand and water of Pharaoh’s Island (or Coral Island, or Geziret Faraoun). More certain is that Crusaders established an outpost here, on the site of a onetime Phoenician port, and erected a castle in 1115 A.D. to protect pilgrims on the way to St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai wilderness. The island did double duty as a base from which to attack Arab traders, which led to its capture by Saladin (or Salah El-Din). The legendary Arab leader strengthened the fortifications, and his name remains attached to the castle. Later, it was a Mameluke and Ottoman outpost.

We’ll have a treasured half-day opportunity to board a boat to visit this rarely seen fortress island. We’ll motor northward from Sharm El Sheikh, following the rocky coast, passing Bedouin travelers on camels, and secluded beaches, with occasional sightings of desert foxes. At Dahab or Nuweiba, we’ll embark for our short crossing to the island.

Once ashore, we’ll wander through the precincts of the reconstructed castle, with its courtyard, storerooms, galleys, and dining rooms, and appreciate the natural harbor that made this such a coveted outpost. And we’ll take in the unusual offshore vista of the breathtaking azure waters of the Gulf, back dropped by the grandeur of the mountains of Sinai and a cloudless sky.

Then, at your option, you can don scuba or snorkeling gear for a close encounter with the world-famous underwater life of coastal Sinai: corals, reefs, and schools of fish in every gradation of the rainbow, before we return to our lodgings at Sharm El Sheikh.

DAY 10 – Sharm – El Sheikh – PETRA – Tuesday (BLD)
We’ll fly to Amman (non-stop, or via Cairo) in Amman, our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You’ll drive under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Lunch or snacks are included enroute. Dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 11 – PETRA- Wednesday (BD)
We’ll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You’ll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.

In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience:
Dine as a local: The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza (appetizers) and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 12 – DEPARTURE FOR HOME – Thursday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport of Amman for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions,to Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh, Greece or Turkey or even stop in Paris or London on the way back.

VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required).

Egyptian Visa will be issued for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage, after you clear the passport and customs formalities and exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room in Cairo upon arrival with our compliments.

International air fares (with tax) from New York to Cairo with return from Amman. If / when you handle your own air fare please deduct $ 500 from the listed rates.

All domestic flights within Egypt, economy class with tax.

Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges

All transfers in Egypt & Jordan.

Red Sea ferry ticket.

Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.

Bottled water (one per person) delivered daily to your cabin

Bottled water / tea / coffee with every meal on board the Nile Cruise.

Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions, cabins are always outside with large panoramic windows.

Multi-Country Tours

Featured Review

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We just wanted to let you know we made it back home after our weeklong detour through Italy. Athens was fantastic. The tours were very good, and short of heading out to the islands, I can't think of a single thing we would have rather done while there.
Although we had an excellent time in Athens, Egypt was by far the highlight of our entire trip, including Italy. We just can't say enough about Ahmed, Isis, Ashraf, and all our drivers. We simply could not have done the trip without their help. Ahmed was very professional, courteous, and helpful, and always went out of his way to make sure we were where we needed to be at the right time. Our Egyptologist guides, Isis and Ashraf, were both very knowledgeable and made our visit so much better with their endless supply of information. We wore out both days long before they did. We will definitely try to come back to Egypt when we have more time to spend.
Thank you so much for arranging the trip, allowing us to customize what we needed to, and putting us in touch with such good people. And please find attached pictures of us enjoying a camel ride. :-)
Click here to seeAdrian and Melina's Egypt photo album.